Crostata, Rustic Italian Fruit Tart

A crostata is an Italian baked tart or pie, also known as coppi in Naples and sfogliata in Lombardy.

A crostata is a rustic free-form version of an open fruit tart.

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The name derives from the Latin word crustāta, the feminine past participle of crustāre (to encrust), and ultimately from the noun crusta (crust).

Traditionally, a crostata consisted of a base, usually three layers, of friable dough flavored with clarified fat and butter. Today, shortcrust pastry is used instead. It is differentiated from a torta by its filling: a crostata has an inconsistent chunky filling, whereas a torta has a consistent filling made of blended ingredients. There are "endless variations of both sweet and savory crostata, the sweet ones usually being served as a dessert.

Sweet variations use as a filling, typically apple, apricot, cherry, peach, nectarine, or berries. I am using apples today. A crostata can also be blind-baked and then filled with pastry cream topped with pieces of fresh fruit; this is called crostata di frutta.

Ingredients for a savory crostata may include meat, fish, or vegetables that are pre-cooked. I have also seen a recipe for a "crostata of crabmeat and shrimp" that suggests the shrimp and crab should be crushed. A popular sweet variant, especially in central Italy, is crostata di ricotta, made with ricotta mixed with sugar and lemon zest, which may additionally include cocoa or raisins.

For meat and seafood-based crostata, there are recipes using pork jowls or prosciutto, shrimp, anchovies, or oysters. Other savory crostata recipes include a crostata with creamy cheese referred to as a butirata, some use truffles or field mushrooms or artichoke hearts.

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